Top Cognizant Technology Solutions Interview Questions and Answers

Cognizant Technology Solutions is a major global IT services and consulting company headquartered in New Jersey With over 300,000 employees worldwide, Cognizant is constantly hiring talented software engineers, developers, programmers and other technology professionals.

The Cognizant interview process typically involves multiple rounds of technical and HR interviews. You’ll need to demonstrate extensive programming knowledge, problem solving skills and be prepared to answer questions about past projects and experiences.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover examples of the most common Cognizant interview questions with tips on how to best approach and ace your Cognizant job interview.

Technical Cognizant Interview Questions

The technical interview focuses heavily on coding skills and computer science fundamentals. Be ready to solve programming challenges on the whiteboard or IDE. Here are some example technical questions:

Q1: Write the code to find the length of a string without using the string functions.

str_len = 0for char in input_str:  str_len += 1return str_len

Q2: How will you print the address of a variable without using a pointer?

In C, we can use the address of operator & to get the memory address of a variable without needing an explicit pointer.

int x = 10;printf("Address of x is: %p", &x);

Q3: What do you understand about Proactive, Retroactive and Simultaneous Update in the context of DBMS?

• Proactive update: The transaction updates both old and new values simultaneously during an update. More I/O intensive but prevents inconsistencies.

• Retroactive update: Only the new value is updated. Old values are updated later. Less I/O but can temporarily lead to inconsistencies.

• Simultaneous update: Old values are updated first, then new values. Consistent but requires rollback capability to undo if error occurs.

Q4: Explain how RESTful web services work.

• REST uses HTTP methods like GET, POST, PUT, DELETE to manipulate resources.
• Resources are identified using URIs (Universal Resource Identifiers).
• REST uses standard JSON or XML formats to send and receive data.
• Stateless – no client session data is stored on the server between requests.
• Caching can be implemented to improve performance.
• Can use HTTP status codes to indicate API response status.

Q5: Compare depth first search vs breadth first search algorithms.

<table><tbody><tr><td>Depth First Search</td> <td>Breadth First Search</td></tr><tr><td><ul><li>Follows one branch completely before moving to other branches.</li> <li>Uses less memory as need only track current branch, not all nodes.</li><li>Can get stuck in infinite loops on graphs with cycles.</li> <li>Faster for deep trees.</li></ul></td><td><ul> <li>Explores all neighbors before going deeper.</li><li>Uses more memory as must track all nodes on current level.</li><li>Guaranteed to find shortest path for unweighted graphs.</li><li>Slower for deep trees.</li> </ul> </td></tr></tbody></table>

Cognizant Coding Questions

In addition to CS fundamentals, most Cognizant interviews also include hands-on coding challenges. Here are some examples and how to approach them:

Q1: Write a program to reverse a string recursively without using loops.

def reverse(input_str):  if len(input_str) == 0:    return ""  else:    return reverse(input_str[1:]) + input_str[0]    input_str = "Hello"print(reverse(input_str)) # olleH

• Make the base case returning empty string for empty input.
• Recursively call reverse on substring without first char + first char.

Q2: Given a sorted array, write a function to find if a target value exists in the array using binary search.

boolean binarySearch(int[] arr, int target) {  int low = 0;   int high = arr.length - 1;    while(low <= high) {    int mid = low + (high - low) / 2;    if (arr[mid] == target) {      return true;    }    if (arr[mid] < target) {      low = mid + 1;    } else {      high = mid - 1;     }  }    return false;}

• Initialize start and end indexes.
• Find the middle element and compare to target.
• Based on comparison, narrow search range to left or right half.
• Repeat until match found or start > end.

Q3: Write a function to check if a given binary tree is a binary search tree.

def isBST(root, minVal, maxVal):  if root is None:    return True    if root.val < minVal or root.val > maxVal:    return False     return (isBST(root.left, minVal, root.val) and           isBST(root.right, root.val, maxVal))

• Pass current node value as max for left subtree and min for right.
• Recursively check each node’s value is within allowed range.
• Return true only if both left and right subtrees pass check.

Preparing implementations for common algorithms like sorting, tree traversal, dynamic programming can help boost your confidence during the coding interview rounds.

Cognizant HR Interview Questions

In addition to technical expertise, Cognizant assesses soft skills and cultural fit through multiple HR rounds. Some common examples include:

Q1: Tell me about yourself.

• Start with your background like education, hometown, early interests.
• Share relevant work experiences and key projects.
• Explain your strengths aligned with role requirements.
• End with positive remark about opportunity to join Cognizant.

Q2: Why do you want to work at Cognizant?

• Show interest in their business domain and growth potential.
• Appreciate their culture of innovation and collaboration.
• Value opportunities for career development and learning.
• Believe your skills and values align well with company’s vision.

Q3: How do you handle pressure or stressful situations?

• Stay calm and composed under pressure using techniques like mindfulness.
• Leverage planning and organizational skills to manage workload.
• Seek help from colleagues when facing roadblocks or resourcing issues.
• Keep communication open with manager to align priorities and reallocate bandwidth if needed.

Q4: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

• Continuously developing technical skills and gaining specialized expertise.
• Moving into team or project lead roles with people management responsibilities.
• Helping shape product roadmaps and high-level technical direction.
• Providing mentoring and coaching to junior members of the team.
• Taking up initiatives to build team culture and collaboration.

Preparing stories from your past experience that demonstrate desired skills like communication, teamwork, leadership, perseverance and a passion for learning can help you provide convincing, memorable answers.

Cognizant Manager Interview Questions

For senior or manager roles, expect more questions focused on leadership, strategy and delivering business impact. Some examples:

Q1: How would you improve productivity and engagement on a team with low morale?

• Foster open and candid dialogue to understand pain points.
• Clarify business context so team connects work to outcomes.
• Enable autonomy and mastery through stretch assignments.
• Recognize achievements frequently and visibly.
• Build relationships and trust through one-on-ones.
• Inject fun team events to break monotony.

Q2: How do you make difficult decisions with ambiguous or conflicting data?

• Gather inputs from diverse sources to get a holistic perspective.
• Leverage experience and expertise from mentors or advisors.
• Debate outcomes using facts and logic, not emotions.
• Assess risks, mitigation options and pick path aligned to goals.
• Make the call quickly once sufficient data is available.
• Continuously evaluate impact and course correct if needed.

Q3: How would you manage stakeholder communications for a high-risk project?

• Set clear expectations upfront through kickoff meetings.
• Provide regular, transparent status updates on milestones.
• Highlight interdependencies or risks requiring coordination.
• Develop escalation protocols for missed deliverables or milestones.
• Get confirmation stakeholders are satisfied with level of communication.
• Solicit and act upon feedback to improve engagement.

With its continued growth and 300